Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver by Shawn Inmon

★★★★★

The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver by Shawn Inmon is a gripping story of the ultimate “What if?”

The time travel genre is populated by a number of standard premises, meaning that multiple authors have discussed many of the same philosophical and ethical issues over the years. In The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver the classic time-traveling tropes are present, but they seamlessly weave between highly developed characters and an emotionally gripping story line that makes readers forget that they’re reading fiction.

Thomas Weaver has not had a particularly good life, and after 55 years on the […]

Review: The Ever Fiend (Talon Stormbringer Series) by Randy Ellefson

★★★★½

Talon Stormbringer is many things – a thief, a rogue, a legend. Is he a fool too?

Tasked with finding the land of Everway by the very same wizard he tried to steal from in the first place, Talon must join forces with a band of misfits in order to find the legendary silver elixir for his new employer-by-force. The powerful artefact is only known from stories told to children to get them to sleep at night… then again, so is Everway, so who can tell what’s fact and fiction?

For Talon’s sake, one can only hope that tales […]

James Grimsby2016-11-03T09:31:50+02:00August 29th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: An Unknown Love: Secrets & Romance by Adom Sample

★★★★

He watches from the shadows of his villa, from the edge of the crowd, and through the latest newspaper that tells of her success. She has no idea that he even exists, until the love letter arrives…

Jasmine Sun-Wallace is an upstart businesswoman – easily described as a go-getter in establishing her successful cosmetics company; austere in the meeting room but with a kind and generous heart that is made apparent through her philanthropic efforts. For as strong and giving as she is for the sake of her career, her life at home is in decay as her husband […]

Naka Jackson2016-09-30T09:27:15+02:00August 25th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Romance Book Reviews|

Review: Paper Castles by Terri Lee

The year is 1963. The American dream has begun to definitely show its ragged edges, and in sunny Georgia the manicured gardens kept prim and proper on lavish manor grounds reflect the lives of the listless housewives cloistered within. Savannah Palmerton had dreams once, but now she is a specter of a woman, drifting from social engagement to social engagement, with nothing in her life between the forced smiles and empty chatter of afternoon teas and garden parties.

After all, when the girl gets everything she ever dreamed of, the story always ends right there, before the stagnation of such […]

Naka Jackson2019-02-11T09:20:37+02:00August 25th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Women's Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Simple Simon by William Poe

★★★★★

“Cocaine overtook the lives of many people in the 1980s. That seemed especially true in the Hollywood gay scene, where I was something of a fixture in the bars, especially the seedy ones.”

Simon Powell has lived a life of many regrets – one of religious engagement and chemical addiction; of Hollywood dreams and cold nights on concrete streets, of love and loss, and the harsh bounce back from rock-bottom. Simon is a gay man from Arkansas who’s seen it all, and it’s taken its toll. Recovering from his near-fatal addiction, he worked towards a healthier existence through rehab […]

James Grimsby2019-10-04T06:34:20+02:00August 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, LGBTQI+ Book Reviews|

Review: In the Presence of Wolves by Erick Nason

★★★★½

In the Presence of Wolves: The Adventures of Ranger Jacob Clarke by Erick Nason is a rugged and action-packed adventure.

As military history in America goes, the French and Indian War is perhaps the least discussed, but as Erick Nason so expertly depicts in his novel, In the Presence of Wolves, it was truly a fascinating time in American history. Approximately two decades before the Revolutionary War broke out, America had a very different battle to fight – one against the French and their Indian compatriots. This novel is set in the lush upper forests of New York, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-09-05T10:05:35+02:00August 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Radio Sphere by Devin terSteeg

★★★★★

In the not-so-distant future of “20XX,” the world has changed dramatically. Human innovation has advanced far beyond our ability to truly stay in-touch with the latest news and technology, leading to a social stagnation of endless consumption. We have greatly elongated lives, and yet we have so much more to experience; we’re a progressive society, progressed beyond our limits.

It should have been obvious humans were weak, and now it’s too late.

When human foolishness brings an abrupt end to our golden age of technology, an alien force dramatically alters the Earth in fantastic, unknowable ways. Our world is […]

James Grimsby2016-09-29T08:26:58+02:00August 20th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Strangers I Have Known by Melissa Kotler Schwartz

★★★★★

When people think back on the story of their lives, the “main characters” are typically family members, friends, lovers, children, co-workers and the myriad other people who receive Christmas cards or occasional texts. However, a large portion of our time as human beings consists of interactions with strangers. In Strangers I Have Known by Melissa Kotler Schwartz, the author takes readers on a journey through her everyday life, not depicting the time spent with family and friends, but rather her tiny interactions with cashiers, locals, passers-by and one-conversation friends that act as the glue tying all of humanity together.[…]